Can’t “Duck” This Vital Need

I remember sitting with Joni outside a little cabin near Fredericksburg, Texas when a flock of eight ducks noisily left the pond and waddled toward us. They lined up and quacked expectantly. If I spoke duck I suspect the translation would have been something like the famous quote from Caddyshack. “Hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.” We fed the ducks some cereal flakes and apparently that was an acceptable offering. Every time we went out on our porch the ducks would waddle over and wait for their snack. Joni and I were fascinated by their behaviors. They always stayed together. There was a clear leader of the pack and when the leader decided it was time to move on to other activities the seven dutifully followed. They swam at the same time. Groomed at the same time. They slept at the same time. They were created to thrive in community. So are we. Here
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Feeling Like A Nobody Just Might Be A Sign of Growth

My life odometer keeps adding mileage. No matter how hard I try I cannot roll it back. Part of acquiring higher mileage is getting some hard earned perspective on your life decisions. Some of my decisions were good. Some benign. Some not so good. Some truly regretful. That is life. The encouragement I have discovered is that even the really bad decisions can be redeemed by the grace of God. D.L.Moody was one of the greatest communicators of the Gospel in church history and a great Christian university bears his name. One of my favorite Moody quotes is about the learning curve of Moses. Moses ended up having a fairly decent impact for God. “Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody; 40 years learning he was nobody; and 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.” I have to adjust the numbers for my life. I spent 40 years thinking I was somebody. Twenty years learning I
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Jesus Loves the Broken Ones

We all go through hard seasons in life. Recently I have had to walk with some very dear friends through dark valleys. I had to say goodbye to one close friend. Actually, I had to say “see you later”. I rejoice in the hope of our heavenly reunion someday. I love when God sends an unexpected blessing when you are crushed by the weight of this world. My sweet wife Joni calls them “Postcards from God”. I received an electronic post card recently. Regular readers of these humble ramblings know that I have become a fan of bluegrass singer, songwriter, and producer Jerry Salley. His song about our mutual hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio still fills my heart with warm memories of my small town upbringing. I absolutely fell in love with his lyrical storytelling. We connected on a professional level and I sent him a couple of my books. In late June I received my postcard. Jerry began reading my
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What Would My Last Message Be?

When I was a little boy I remember the standard prayer at bedtime. I know it was meant to comfort but one line always freaked me out. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, Wait? What? If I should die before I wake? I think I will just stay awake for awhile thank you very much. Six decades later that prayer makes a lot more sense. If I should die before I wake I believe I will be in the presence of Jesus. I am not anxious to leave this life but I am not afraid. I talked about loss in my book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. I wrote that “preparing for death is preparing for life,” a principle that has radically changed my perspective. The corollary truth is when you are not afraid to die you are
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Jesus Keeps No Stats

I lived in the performance driven world of sports virtually my entire career. In our broadcasts we usually measured value not by character but by statistics. Numbers like how many tackles for loss or how many yards gained per carry defined value. Character was a nice bonus but performance was king. I remember a comment from Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald that really impacted me. He was talking about the impact of negative stats on a football player’s performance. Coaches often rail about the need to reduce “missed” tackles and they keep track of each miscue. Coach Fitzgerald had a different philosophy. His staff does not keep track of missed tackles at all. The staff evaluates each play by their effort even if it does not produce perfect results. His next comment stuck with me. “I don’t like to put negative results in their minds because you become what you think about.” It immediately hit me how profound that
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He Knew He Was Loved

A little over fifteen years ago youngest son and dog lover Brett called from Baylor University. He had spotted three abandoned puppies along the side of a Waco road. He tried to round them up but could only catch one. Brett called to let me know that he intended to bathe, feed, and care for the pup over the weekend. He told me he planned to take him to the Humane Society on Monday for adoption. I knew I was in trouble when Brett decided to let me know what his rescued puppy looked like. I called the lovely Mrs. Burchett. “He is working me,” I told Joni. “He is falling in love with this dog.” On Sunday I was driving through Waco and I stopped to see Brett and his alleged short term friend. The way this puppy followed Brett around and looked at him was astounding. He appeared to sense that Brett was, for him, the canine version of
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The Gift of Being Present

To celebrate the paperback release of Stay this week’s article is a free preview of one of my favorite chapters. Chapter 3 from STAY: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace BE PRESENT– Journal Entry One reason Hannah is such a special friend is that she entered our lives during a difficult season when her human mom—my wife, Joni—was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hannah provided a comforting presence during a scary time. I found an anonymous quote that sums up one big reason why: “One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that she doesn’t try to find out why.” Hannah knew how to deal with people going through an emotionally and physically draining valley. Her solution was simple but powerful. Be present. It was just the unsolicited encouragement that Joni and I so needed at the time. When this cancer journey began, we learned a lot of hard lessons. One of the hardest
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